http://kotaku.com/384680/blockbuster-video...ng-for-gamestop

As hinted at by a store manager back in the beginning of this month, Blockbuster Video is ramping up the video game side of their business big time, and they might just be gearing up to give GameStop a run for their money. Along with granting video games like Grand Theft Auto IV sacred space on the New Release wall, corporate-owned stores across the country should now be carrying retail games, consoles, and accessories for purchase, as well as kicking up their rental offerings with more titles and platforms, including DS games, which up til now my local store hadn't carried at all.

"We are committed to offering a full assortment of everything gamers want in our stores — hardware, accessories and retail and rental games across all platforms — including Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS," said Rod Murray, vice-president, games merchandising, Blockbuster Inc.
The company will also be offering a variety of exclusives, such as their exclusive Sony PS3 movie and game bundle, that features a 40GB PS3, Spiderman 3 on Blu-ray, Transformers the Movie the game, and a 12-week PS3/Blu-ray rental card entitling users to a free rental each week of for twelve weeks, all for $499.99.

Honestly I feel this can only be good for the game buying public. For one, the nearest Blockbuster Store to me is much closer than the nearest GameStop, and anyone who has traded in a game at a Blockbuster knows their trade-in values are tons better than the competition.

If any company has the established infrastructure to compete with GameStop in the retail video game space it's Blockbuster Video. Blockbuster currently has around 5,192 stores in the U.S., with GameStop maintaining apporximately 5,264. Depending on how serious BB is about this initiative, it would put them a stone's throw away from being the biggest video game retailer in the country. Sure they rent and sell movies as well, but GameStop has been known to peddle the odd previously viewed DVD themselves.

Say what you will about evil corporations, but face it, there isn't a mom & pop store out there with the resources to take on the big guys. The lesser of two evils perhaps, but any deal that puts a game store five minutes from my house can't be all that bad. Interesting times for video game retail await!

Stores Also to Carry More Rental Game Platforms, Titles and Copies
DALLAS, April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Blockbuster Inc. , a leading global provider of in-home movies and game entertainment, today announced it has rolled out retail video games and game hardware to all U.S. corporate-owned BLOCKBUSTER® stores as part of a broader plan to significantly expand its game business.

Now, for the first time, customers can go into any U.S. corporate-owned BLOCKBUSTER store and purchase video game titles, hardware and accessories for the Sony PS3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS game systems. In addition to expanding its retail games offering, Blockbuster is adding more game titles for rental with more copies than before across all platforms.

Blockbuster is featuring its expanded game offerings — including hardware and accessories, along with rental and retail titles such as "Mario Kart" and the soon-to-be-released "Grand Theft Auto IV" — on the new release wall in a specially designated game section.

"We are committed to offering a full assortment of everything gamers want in our stores — hardware, accessories and retail and rental games across all platforms — including Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS," said Rod Murray, vice-president, games merchandising, Blockbuster Inc.

To further support expansion of its game business, Blockbuster will also be implementing a variety of special consumer game offers, such as an exclusive Sony PS3 movie and game bundle. The bundle, available at corporate-owned stores while supplies last for $499.99, excluding tax, includes: a 40GB Sony PS3 game console that also plays Blu-ray DVDs, PS3/Blu-ray DVD remote, HDMI cable, "Spiderman 3" Blu-ray disc, "Transformers" PS3 game and a BLOCKBUSTER 12-week PS3/Blu-ray rental card that entitles users to one free PS3 or Blu-ray rental per week for 12 consecutive weeks.

What I dont like about blockbuster when you rent a game your reciept tells you how much you can but it for, but most of the time the price is much higher than what you can get buy the used version for at gamestop, not to mention that you already paid $8 bucks for rental.
As for the online video rental, I have had both and blockbuster and netflix and the blockbuster service is faster and has more perks.

I agree that Blockbuster's on a bit of a decline, with stuff like Netflix/Gamefly and Redbox out there, but if they can stick with this, and the added selection of games is actually worth anyone's time, and retail prices are reasonable, then I'd like to see how they do. I'd be happy with just a better rental selection, as I've always been rather disappointed in the selection at stores I've been to. GameStop isn't much better in this sense, but they just offer more games. More quality games? Not necessarily, but more nonetheless. Both places can be a bit ridiculous with their pricing as well.

If Blockbuster really does have, and keep, a better trade-in deal, then I could see that as being one thing that could help them compete. (I've heard nothing but complaints about GameStop trade-ins, so if Blockbuster's are reasonable, then I'd consider that a strength.) Enough to stick with the new plan, and maintain good business? I couldn't really say. I guess we'll see.

I'll probably try to check out my local Blockbuster sometime, just to see how things are, but I'm a pessimist, so I'm not expecting much, haha. If it fails, then as Markies pointed out: Amazon, for the win.

if blockbuster can keep a good stock of games and not just the "popular" sports games and such, then i see a huge plus in blockbuster over gamestop because i can rent the game, try it out, and then take it back if it sucks. Now the big if is, will blockbuster stick this out and actually increase and keep up with their game library? Most non-game rush blockbusters have a very poor quantity of games and also a poor range of game genre's. Now if they can boost this and have a competitive trade in value for their product, i see them doing just fine in this competition.

Personally, I am not a big fan of blockbuster. Their stores always seem so small and to never offer much of anything, movies or games. I am pretty sure that Netflix is destroying them these days in the competition.

Someone needs to give Gamestop a run for their money. I can't stand that place.

www.amazon.com

You're welcome.

Someone needs to give Gamestop a run for their money. I can't stand that place.

I'm sure it'll be all the rage like Hollywood Video's Gamecrazy.
They'll lose.

Hey man don't ##### around about Hollywood Video. My mom used to manage one, and I used to go to work with her when I was little. When that Rockadoodle movie came out (the rooster that dressed like Elvis) they had a costume there to promote it, she put it on and came out. I was fine until I heard her voice, then it was all "AAAAAAAAAHHHH ROCKADOODLE ATE MY MOMMY" and me running around a video store crying.

Or Ebay or Half.com. I think *STD's point was finding those kinds of games without paying a arm or leg that sellers charge for them.

*heh, STD.

How the hell can blockbuster compete with Gamestop? Blockbuster rents and sells more movies than it does video games, so how the hell could they keep a game selection in stock that competes with Gamestop's? They don't have the ##### room available at most retail outlets to sell THAT MANY GAMES. You can't compete against a game-store juggarnaut if you can't afford enough space to keep enough product to sell both games and movies in large quanities.

Blockbuster is a helluva deal for long-term movie and game rentals, but that's just about it. They might rent more games and movies than gamespot, but they will never SELL more games and movies.